MORENO VALLEY: Firefighters knock down blaze that destroyed home

MORENO VALLEY — More than a dozen firefighters spent about an hour battling a late night blaze that erupted Wednesday night, Feb. 7. The blaze broke out at a home on the 22000 block of Cottonwood Avenue, between Glorybower and Elsworth Streets, in Moreno Valley.

Moreno Valley Fire and Police Departments along with other emergency first responders were dispatched to the home shortly before 11 p.m., after multiple people called 911 to report thick black smoke and flames billowing from the home and property.

Twenty-five firefighters from seven engine companies and one truck company responded to the fire, Cal Fire/Riverside, Riverside County Fire spokesperson April Newman explained in an incident report. They were assisted by a Medic Squad.

When officials began arriving at the scene of the fire a person was spotted bravely trying to douse the flames with a garden hose; however, the small hose was no match for the massive fire. It was not known if the person trying to extinguish the fire lived at the residence or nearby.

“The first arriving engine company reported one structure fully involved in fire with extension into the vegetation,” said Newman.

As firefighters began an aggressive attack on the blaze, flames were seen shooting 50 to 60 feet in the air and could be observed for several miles, according to witnesses.

While firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, officials at the scene requested deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police Station to the location to assist with shutting down Cottonwood Avenue between Glorybower and Elsworth Streets.

It was not immediately known if anyone was at the residence when the fire erupted, but there were no reported injuries related to the blaze.

Newman updated that the fire was successfully knocked down shortly before midnight. Firefighters were expected to remain at the scene for about three hours conducting extensive overhaul operations.

Officials later estimated the blaze caused about $200,000 in damage; however, firefighter’s efforts saved about $50,000 in property and personal belongings, according to Newman.

Firefighters are still working to determine the cause of the blaze and their investigation is ongoing.

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.